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at these elster cattle following program is wrong and at the national educational television network at one time a parcel of the united states of america was the only good indian is a dead indian now the government policy is that the only good indian is a terminated and again
the end result of both policies is the very same no more indian tribes in america perhaps the old fathers of the menominee tribe had a premonition that the tribes and as they told and retold the legend of spirit rock your father said that as long as this rock and from nominees were injured when the rock was worn away gone finished and the nominees would be gone and finished it's hard to believe that they could've known about termination and yet the legend of that rock is right on schedule it was higher at night because the akp it shaped like a man setting lawyers well i remember my solemn out here blend of the nominees before termination this was a resolution administered by the great white fathers in washington dc the
bureau of indian affairs after germination this land is now a wisconsin covering the promise of wisconsin's seventy two parties was the only in forest and timber and that wealth is not enough to sustain all the people in the country and yet people want to stay here in the land of their forefathers for the fishing for the hunting for the quiet country life in wisconsin's last great unspoiled wilderness or termination for all indian tribes means simply the federal government is spending for terminating reservations across the country to all indians will eventually be on their own left to fend for themselves culmination for the nominees actually
began with a windstorm back in the early nineteen hundreds that stumbled on valuable timber and the federal government chose to have a lot of decay lee in nineteen thirty five legislation was passed by the congress which promoted all indians to sue the federal government for past damages the nominees then sued the government for damages as a result of that can be lost without knowing it at the time of the nominees launch themselves through translation some said the nominees in the fact that their own nation our land
though the war and why a big deal with that fb facebook fb for that they understood that determination as its statehood day in yemen the moon remix death it's bad
my way cells wisconsin introduced a per capita payment bill design to give each menominee tribe remember a fifteen hundred dollar payment to settle a claim for wind storm damage to their camper when this bill came before the senate senator arthur watkins of utah then chairman of the senate subcommittee on interior and insular affairs stuck a joke into the day if the nominee's voted to accept these pre capita payments senator so their votes would be construed
as a vote for termination of reservations that's some people have called this watkins amendment blackmail other people have simply said the united states government figured that any indians smart enough to sue and when in the white man's court weren't ready to be left on their own the menominee is indeed voted for acceptance of their per capita payments that broke the amount they agreed to end reservations dance they in effect agreed to be terminated a birthright once again was sold for a mess of by tj this time fifteen hundred dollars' worth are we really in before before during a jury recovery room at concord do
with fish than one hundred thousand come on religion or hurt your election commission will paula williams is working at the federal level was about his own existence that the reporters and some on the hemingway novel it doesn't exist unfortunately we have of them or the word plan and keep the people aware of that well the foundation ma'am explaining to them what they are facing and the people up to the last minute trip to stand up to an ongoing kevin thing to do and they felt that they ignored the thing
who revealed a voice and i realized we're here until it actually happen a budget about eighty percent of the vote in north carolina to terminate him to begin with it's also where you you know it wasn't even though he was anyone here and ask somebody else allowed if you will say you know i really wasn't interested in that so i didn't pay too much attention to the two hundred or perturbed payment for me not warranted when mismanagement of their first it and they were told that the sooner we get to you protect those voting for terminations will review the older people voted for that realizing what it meant people can destroy them for protecting a
termination came to quit do the fish i'd say for fifteen to twenty years before i came to the union you feel alive mentally alive once more the indian that the white man in a head on confrontation and once more the indian came out second best contact with the white man eroded by turns the indians religion this cultural mores language indeed is very way of life the minimum is over long association with the white men are probably more cultured than any other indian tribes and yet even for them the nominees who are so close to being white termination is not easy major transmission
to make a premonition that success was a good educational program even today where we have not professional devos division lawyer and our name is only candidates have a book it was warren beatty sitting service they learn to relate to and you without your actions and you as a paternalistic syrup pain and that their that isn't good they needed to learn to make their own way in to think with her own minds and handsome and helmet to the new orleans schools didn't do that when we first realize that germination was coming and that they're self government for the menominee
people would was close than anyone realized that the state department worked so closely with this in upgrading schools turning everything for the fact that these children were stunned at their own leaders rather than being governed by the government i think that the future lies in the children that we ask to work with the children and help them get their education i see the change in people being concerned about their children's education they have their genome and the coach of the players which i think is well i have a sister that's in college she's in her junior year she's not going to come back here when she's finished there are
so many of the young people that are in school it is that there are thirteen young people in college this year but how many of these thirteen are going to come back here and work in the country for their people an education will realize it would be your ultimate solution those who make their living you know because and even if they don't stay and gone to get degrees in mathematics or whatever they might and two move away at least very existence and their their social and economic life will be much greater than it would've been here without an education and no answers i've heard that other politicians but this is to build an adult animal to go i just got out of an unhealthy myself this and other local that help them personally my life i was like jets isn't big enough to get out
but since returning to be an import we're on a plot to have to make money these days are on a federal government we we are on the most employer people keep people employed it's telling me they have to have a nominee enterprise we have to have the timber there is no other business is something happened in menominee enterprise with all so we're going to know at the present time are average to carol was about two hundred and thirty and prior to a termination that was probably in history hundred people there's nothing for young people look forward here we need work for women here there's no younger of virginia is set for advance some adventure to get a few hours a day or week is enough
i workers go on the kagan nomination in a coma or two weeks now more and more has been consistently mission idol is that more and more every day ana guys and you compromise house on sundays that's a right that's gone or he could get jobs i've got jobs have to four guys already i just heard this morning edition for me sum up people in the congo and albany new york now he is a donor's sentinel or so this will create a quote racial economic level for people who although jobs outside the county to create income for the nominees most of their income is also spent outside the cockpit simply because shopping facilities stories and services do not exist or in a way it's like the older is dealing with a white trailer on his terms
you can tell me how you're going to stop the oil flow of money out of this country i said then we've got a chance at making termination or if you don't then i don't think were really successful not many indians will tell you they have been studied and surveyed the depth the federal government and now the state has sent an expert after expert to study surveyed plan and then reply and the future of the country and its people there are many ideas for economic improvement of the newer know the processing of a co operative general store there are ideas of poetry but most of the ideas never get beyond the talking stage the only currently operating scheme is a losing blake lots to wealthy white man this plan is to bring in more money for the county by broadening the tax base the leases are for forty years leroy italy this was
private this is ours are we going to keep people can buy land they'll put enough controls says this is all part of the college project to increase the tax base because this is public option is people can afford their taxes with a lion will pass some indians fans and to the outsiders are later covered up as a cottage below were a white man it's got lots of money we don't know them anymore we can do a decent fishing for ourselves on recumbent high speed boat chase so mozart though it's suppose a vision when you will proselytize more it's just like it's a midlevel rocket you about the same thing without vision
and in the country and this time the nation and one of the principle things or won't run up lawyers are you attempting to prefer having him fishing right in and all over the country are built up certain economy and ninety invasion of oregon mean someone's in your one of your people up we attempted to preserve a privilege of the hunting and fishing and because it's in one of the principal requests of the curtain with us congress threw a mention an active the hunting and fishing villages would be preserved
they just ignored it they have their leverage to believe that that there are these things would not be taken away one cac city of trees if he decided to do this he wrote at that time the commission monitoring negative being a record it's quite clear that these rights will continue for instance three at the time la section that was a lover of towners what is the intent of
congress with respect to certain provisions of the determination act one the question at what a lot of abortion rights may have a very low seventies continue mr cassel for us to plan on the manipulation bill made the point that there's no need to totally cause you're welcome or so the committee
precise language that these people need is a number one fan particular toast to me come in on the string a little further votes business will be trapping and fishing and i meet income and on their agenda social commodities because it can no longer a confession that doesn't have anything to do it's been a lot of focus on him the owner and the nominees are not unlike the older white people in twentieth century america scared abandoned by society which the longer respect starters it's polled people our constant pressing for change is one of our great strengths
as a nation but perhaps our pressing for change is also one of our real weaknesses well it was just existing at veterans a metal plumbing know people would sneak real people real people young people get our congress has been on nbc is trying to construct in a similar jump into society and whoever the reservation's rich is that i feel is that because a lot of people can't undergo this change a security issue advanced many many tribes socially and economically as far as the coaches were cultures being constantly brought their art and i've said this publicly
if we have to retain coltrane sacrifice our social and economic advances and i say let's dont the culture if we can live in advance socially and economically than i see it is that i don't intend for any i would never want any try to retain their culture and in front of gaining economic you know when you talk about things being lost i mean i don't think we're going to lose anything you always been in the weather where they are terminated in a permanent and unions are terminated their clothes are rules and there could be no more nominees recognized by the federal government sort of healing interesting then in air in unions or norma nominees and it sort of lesson about a shift in a responsibility the federal government from the left and in the eyes of the government will no longer recognize and omnicom so
far though the government is like a steamroller uses a world and they're over a thing in his smash it down he says there is no stopping him or anything what they have made up their minds to do that's what they're gonna do and no i think they still have that they're saying failure when they haven't appointed richard bennett is an oral tradition when i read in the paper with the appointment of a new information in the report that was sent to the va in regard to the appointment of the commission is that dirk terminations going to be stepped up and it's going to be brought about much more rapidly than the rest of that i think you're going to look to see many many tribes not only in wisconsin but across the united states being terminated rosso
which show in many respects it's going to be a mistake for termination be successful you've got to have you got to have a local industry you've got to have available jobs even to begin to think in terms of taxes you've got to have the jobs to provide the taxes and the necessities resistance are in some of these dr sutton on reservations have absolutely nothing so i don't see where you can even begin to conceive of terminations in this respect i think it's absolutely necessary and i intend to carry an emanation of an inquiry they have to go about it in a different way than they did with the nominee and i am my only hope is that the government does not look to us to see some of the mistakes that were made prior discrimination and these are corrected if there was a moral here perhaps is this throughout history we white men have been too quick to destroy
all peoples all places all cultures which stood in the way of what we so blithely term progress at one time we conquered with the cross and they produced a daughter later we conquered was the us cavalry and the repeating rifle now we conquer with paperwork the bureaucrat and the broken promise the menominee people before termination regarded as the second wealthiest of all american indian tribes after termination the same a nominee's now comprise wisconsin's poorest country what will happen to those other indian tribes for her by far than the nominees as those tribes in turn face to immigration policies the obligations the responsibilities of the united states government to its indian citizens must be reevaluated and changed in the harsh light of the menominee experience
termination is the end of something it is the final chapter in the history of american indians but by white men destruction we are systematically deliberately eradicating the last dog in roots of indigenous roots which were implied a deep in this land before columbus but termination can also be the beginning of something perhaps the beginning of wisdom for the white man our days of conquest are dead gone buried in the dark and tragic ground of history perhaps finally the songs of the last two nominees and the sons of the last brain to like men can now together find the true piece the true dignity the true love which always escaped our trouble for father's day i am
going to be next week a local issue examine another topic of national interest because at the national educational television network fb land the
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Series
Local Issue
Episode Number
15
Episode
The Last Menominee
Producing Organization
Wisconsin Public Television
WHA-TV (Television station : Madison, Wis.)
Contributing Organization
PBS Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin)
Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/29-58bg7gkn
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/29-58bg7gkn).
Description
Episode Description
The federal government is accelerating its program to abandon all Indian reservations. The hardships this drive is imposing on the American Indian are vividly present in National Educational Television's "The Last Menominee." Produced by WHA-TV in Madison, Wisconsin, the episode depicts the problems facing an Indian tribe in northeast Wisconsin whose reservation has been "terminated" by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Menominee, who gained citizenship more than five earlier, are one of six tribes whose reservations have been legally closed by the federal government. Once the second richest tribe in North America, the Menominee now live on the 230,000 acres comprising Menominee County, the poorest in the state of Wisconsin. Without the government support and regulation which they enjoyed on the reservation, the 2,600 Menominee Indians have lost their hunting and fishing rights, are without doctors and hospitals, and lack food, adequate education and employment. In this episode the Menominee discuss their problems, doubts, and hopes for the future - a fate closely bound with all American Indians. The Last Menominee is a production of WHA-TV, Madison, Wisconsin. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Series Description
In this series several of National Educational Televisions affiliated stations take a close look at controversies in their own areas that may greatly affect the entire nation. Each of the local problems is presented from the points of view of those who have been involved in it, or who have watched its gradual development. The 32 half-hour episodes that comprise this series were originally recorded on videotape. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Broadcast Date
1966-07-10
Asset type
Episode
Topics
Social Issues
Local Communities
Race and Ethnicity
Public Affairs
Politics and Government
Rights
Content provided from the media collection of Wisconsin Public Broadcasting, a service of the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. All rights reserved by the particular owner of content provided. For more information, please contact 1-800-422-9707
Media type
Moving Image
Duration
00:31:18
Embed Code
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Credits
Cinematographer: Hanisch, Stuart
Director: Hanisch, Stuart
Executive Producer: Weston, William
Executive Producer: Markstrom, Steven
Narrator: Vukelich, George
Producing Organization: Wisconsin Public Television
Producing Organization: WHA-TV (Television station : Madison, Wis.)
Writer: Vukelich, George
AAPB Contributor Holdings
Wisconsin Public Television (WHA-TV)
Identifier: WPT6.T1147 CA (Wisconsin Public Television)
Format: VHS
Generation: Copy: Access
Duration: 00:29:00
Wisconsin Public Television (WHA-TV)
Identifier: WPT6.T1148 MA (Wisconsin Public Television)
Format: Betacam: SP
Generation: Master
Duration: 00:29:00
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2107205-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 2 inch videotape: Quad
Generation: Master
Color: B&W
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2107205-2 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 1 inch videotape: SMPTE Type C
Generation: Master
Color: B&W
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2107205-3 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: U-matic
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2107205-4 (MAVIS Item ID)
Generation: Master
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2107205-5 (MAVIS Item ID)
Generation: Copy: Access
Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive
Identifier: [request film based on title] (Indiana University)
Format: 16mm film
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
Citations
Chicago: “Local Issue; 15; The Last Menominee,” 1966-07-10, PBS Wisconsin, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed October 10, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-29-58bg7gkn.
MLA: “Local Issue; 15; The Last Menominee.” 1966-07-10. PBS Wisconsin, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. October 10, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-29-58bg7gkn>.
APA: Local Issue; 15; The Last Menominee. Boston, MA: PBS Wisconsin, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-29-58bg7gkn